Mooney

The Joshua Tree

Yesterday, we revealed that a new spider, Aptostichus bonoi, has been named after U2 singer Bono. The trapdoor spider can be found in the Joshua trees of California - and of course U2's seminal 1987 album was called The Joshua Tree. But why? Broadcaster and RTÉ 2fm legend Dave Fanning joins us in studio for the definitive reason for the album title!

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Amanda Brunker's Breast Reduction

Dolly Parton's musical 9-5: The Musical opened at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre last night, and there's no doubting that Ms Parton is a multi-talented lady: singer, actress, songwriter, entrepreneur. There's also no doubt that she is as equally known and loved for her buxom bosom! We can all be very flippant about breasts. After all, most of us have had a relationship with them dating back to our infancy! But for many women, a hugely prominent set of breasts is far from a laughing matter. They can, in certain circumstances, become a real liability.

Journalist and former Miss Ireland, Amanda Brunker, has been just as frank as Dolly Parton about her relationship with her "twin girls", as she calls them. And in last weekend's Sunday World, she spoke with her usual full-blown honesty about her decision to finally bring them back to a manageable size. Amanda joins Derek in studio today to talk about her decision to undergo a breast reduction operation next month...

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What Makes A Good Autobiography?

Walk in to any book shop and you might well have an avalanche of autobiographies looking down at you from the shelves. From Twink to Mary Byrne, Charlie Bird to Katie Price (who has written five autobiographies!) ... do any of them ever get read at all - or are any good to begin with? We asked Donal O'Donoghue, Features Editor with the RTÉ Guide, to come in today to talk us through the best and worst of autobiographies!

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Hedgerows: It is an offence to 'cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy hedgerows on uncultivated land during the nesting season from 1 March to 31 August, subject to certain exceptions'. For more information, click here.

UPDATE: February 29th 2016 - Press Release From BirdWatch Ireland:

Putting the record straight: Dates for burning and hedge-cutting have NOT changed

BirdWatch Ireland, Ireland’s largest conservation charity, is very concerned about misinformation that is currently circulating regarding the dates within which the burning of vegetation and cutting of hedges is permitted. It would like to remind landowners that all burning and cutting must cease on 29th February this year and that burning and cutting remains prohibited from 1st March to 31st August.

Despite attempts by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys T.D., to change the laws regulating these dates by introducing the Heritage Bill 2016 earlier this year, it is important to note that the proposed date changes were ultimately NOT made. This is because the bill failed to pass through both houses of the Oireachtas before the recent dissolution of the Dáil in advance of the general election.

The laws in place governing the dates for hedge-cutting and upland burning therefore remain unchanged. The period within which cutting and burning is prohibited are set down in Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976 (as amended in 2000), which states that:

(a) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy, during the period beginning on the 1st day of March and ending on the 31st day of August in any year, any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated.
(b) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch during the period mentioned in paragraph (a) of this subsection (above).

The existing law provides exemptions for road safety and other circumstances and should be read carefully to ensure compliance.

Section 40 of the Wildlife Act exists to protect nesting birds. Many of our upland bird species are in decline and are in danger of extinction in Ireland; amongst them is the Curlew, which has declined by 80%. Many birds which nest in hedgerows into August are also in serious decline, including the endangered Yellowhammer. The changes to the cutting and burning dates which had been proposed in the now-defunct Heritage Bill 2016 would have caused serious impacts to these birds. A petition launched by BirdWatch Ireland in conjunction with several other national conservation organisations to stop these changes attracted more than 16,200 signatures and rising.

BirdWatch Ireland would also like to advise members of the public that if they see hedges being cut or fires in the uplands on or after 1st March, such activity could be illegal. In such cases, we would encourage people to contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service (www.npws.ie) to report such activity.

BirdWatch Ireland warmly welcomes the demise of the Heritage Bill 2016 and sincerely hopes that any future administration will consider the importance of Ireland’s natural heritage and will not attempt to reintroduce such a flawed and damaging piece of legislation.

RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Broadcaster.RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Images courtesy of Inpho.ie and Getty Images.